Concise Display Advertising Guide For Local Businesses

If you aren’t already considering display advertising as part of your marketing tool kit, now would be a great time to do so. Advertising on Google remains one of the most effective ways to drive already engaged audiences directly to your website.

If you haven’t worked with Google display ads before, you probably have a few questions. The main one being, ‘Is this right for me?’

You won’t be able to make that decision without understanding some of the basics so we’ve put together the answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

What are display banners?

If you are browsing a website and notice a box containing an obvious advert, you are almost certainly looking at display banners. Also known as banner ads or display ads these are paid adverts, which are displayed in certain positions on websites.

In some ways this is like placing an advert in a magazine but, handled correctly, display ads can be managed to reach very specific audiences. Display banners put your adverts directly in front of audiences to gain their interest even before they get to the point of searching for services.

How are display ads targeted towards specific audiences?

If you want your ads to reach a defined audience, you need to make sure they appear on relevant websites. These could be sites with high general traffic, or even ones with which you are already experiencing success. For example, a luggage retailer might choose for their ads to appear on popular travel review sites.

They might then, in time, narrow things down by increasing bid activity for placement on sites that are bringing in leads. You can achieve this level of control through managed placements. These allow you to make a bid against other prospective advertisers, and see your ad appear exactly where you want it.

Are there any display advertising regulations?

Advertising regulations vary from country to country and UK advertising standards are governed by the ASA. Display adverts are expected to follow the same guidelines as traditional advertising and other digital methods such as influencer marketing.

It is made clear that your ad is actually an advert, however Google display ads do include lots of options to help make the user experience a comfortable and attractive one.

Display ads rely on cookies to place audience appropriate ads and, under GDPR regulations you and your publishers on the Google ad network will be required to follow standard consent obligations. It is likely that you already have these in place as part of your privacy policy.

How can I make sure I get access to the right audience?

Accessing the right audience is key to display ad success and the only effective way to achieve this is to use precise targeting. Google placements are web pages, websites or apps within the Google display network where, through managed placements, you can choose for your advert to be shown.

With access to over 90% of global internet users, the Google display network is vast and includes Google’s own sites such as YouTube and Gmail. By placing your ads within this huge network you will gain the ability to target people, not just through previous searches but also through a number of different key parameters.

Amongst others these parameters include demographics, location and context (where sites are selected through keywords related to your product and services).

What types of display advertising are there?

Once you start looking you will notice that Google display ads come in different form and their design elements will appeal to, and have impact with different audiences across the display network; so the type of ad you select will depend on your end goal.

As well as being available in different sizes, including suitable dimensions for mobile and Google banner ads, display ads can contain different media elements. We have listed a few key examples below:

Text only ads – relatively easy to maintain

Image ads – important if visual impact matters to you. These can include interactive or animated graphic elements

Shopping ads – great for online shops because they include product and sale details

Responsive ads – important if your ad is to be displayed across a variety of device types, for example mobile and tablet

It should be noted here that the various types of ads respond differently when they’re displayed on mobile devices. So it’s important to make the right choices to suit the online behaviour of your audience.

Is display advertising right for my business?

As you can see, one of the main strengths of Google display advertising is its flexibility. With so many options, never before has it been possible to so accurately target audiences. Across the Google display network, you can have access to people who are looking for your product or service without even realising they are doing so.

However, this comes with a couple of caveats. Because it leads to so many conversions and sales, display advertising is very competitive, particularly in certain industries.

Setting up your ads yourself is possible but it takes expertise and experience to create and manage successful campaigns that will show real results on all your KPIs. What works for one business might not be the right approach for another but help is at hand and sales are out there waiting for you. Contact us today to get proven ROI with your display advertising campaigns.

If you’d like to take advantage of our FREE Google Ads Audit – Click here.